Press Conference for Justice Held in Nation's Capital

Nearly fifty supporters, many representing local and national civil and human rights organizations, attended a press conference in front of the Department of Justice in Washington on Friday. On a day that was to see a possible resolution of Dr. Sami Al-Arian's case, groups from around the country gathered at the Justice Department. The press conference was called after Federal Judge Leonie Brinkema canceled a hearing in Alexandria, VA, scheduled for this morning, that was to determine whether the criminal contempt charges against Dr. Al-Arian would be dismissed.

Sponsored by the Tampa-based Friends of Human Rights, the press conference featured speakers representing a number of major organizations from around the country. They called on the Department of Justice to honor its plea agreement with Dr. Al-Arian, and to drop the charges against him.

The Muslim Public Affairs Council (MPAC) filed on April 24th, 2009, a complaint to the Department of Justice Office of Professional Responsibility against the anti-Muslim conduct of DOJ prosecutor Gordon Kromberg.

The Muslim civil rights advocacy group also released a statement that read in part: "Discriminatory statements have no place in our courts and Mr. Kromberg has become a stain on the great standing and reputation of the Department of Justice and the American judicial system." It continued: "We are confident that Attorney General Holder will make clear that the Department of Justice will not tolerate its attorneys making generalizations about members of a particular race, religion or ethnic group in our courts."

Howard Zinn Statement on Professor Al-Arian

Satirical Article in: The Tampa Fibune

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To be patriotic is to be able to question government policy in times of crisis.To be patriotic is to stand up for the Bill of Rights and the Constitution in times of uncertainty and insecurity. To be patriotic is
to
speak up against the powerful in defense of the weak and the voiceless.To be patriotic is to be willing to pay the price to preserve our freedoms, dignity, and rights.To be patrioticis to challenge the abuses of the PATRIOT Act.From a speech by Dr. Al-Arian9/1/2002

Announcement of Book:The Al-Arian Reader

A new compilation of all relevant articles to be released soon by the National Liberty Fund

And with the scream of the braveI shall riseIn honoring the memory of your ancestorsYou riseWith my stateless brothers and sistersI shall riseLike dust in the sunlightYou riseAnd as ashes in a fiery nightI shall riseYou offendBecause of your existenceAnd IFor my resistanceYou upset themRecalling their pastAnd IBy holding steadfastThey may trod you in dirtMay cause me all the hurtInflict upon you excruciating painWhile they shut me up and detainBut they won't see you brokenNeither would my faith be forsakenAs you've never bowed your headAnd never lowered your eyesI'll continue to raise my fistAnd hide my mother's criesThey may shoot you with their wordsCut me up with their swordsThey may insult you with their eyesDenigrate me with their liesTrying to kill you with their hateBury me alive to seal my fateBut they'd certainlyBe shamed and failAs the free chant and singOn their march to prevailSo keep your head held highAs I follow you and tryAnd keep your beautiful smileAs I walk my first mileThey'll pressure and blameThrow us in prison to control and tameThey'll exile and defameLynch us all or shoot and maimBurn crosses with no shameTarget our children in a dirty gameBut why is that a surprise?Despite their evil and terrorTheir falsehood and liesYou shall riseAnd I shall riseYou're the black oceanLeaping and wideI'm the MediterraneanWith a stormy tideStaying togetherSide by sideIt's no surpriseWe shall riseSurely shall riseWe together shall rise

No Longer AfraidFor us to feel "secure"What price is being paid?If living in freedomWhy are we afraid?Fear is everywhereAll aroundPerhaps irrationalBut without any boundYou can see it on our facesSense it in our eyesYou can hear it in our whispersFeel it in our criesMore>>No Longer Afraid

He sees the world as black and whiteHis solution to every quandary is fight with mightThe economy will not stimulateBecause he can’t articulateWhile jobs are goneHe says, “bring ‘em on.”

Who is he?

He likes to be called the GeneralThe head of an agency that’s federalIf you spit on the sidewalkHe’ll send the Incredible HulkHe hates to cite truth or factBecause he’s busy promoting his unpatriotic actHe frequents TV cameras with a smash

The first part of his last name sounds like trashWho is he?

He is the ideal dutiful poodle they sayFrom an empire where the sun did not set one dayHe adores his cowboy friend and considers him a fanAnd insists: I’m nobody’s yes-manWhen the cowboy says no, I say noWho is he?